French prosecutors open terror probe in official’s killing

RAMBOUILLET, France (AP) — French prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation into the fatal stabbing Friday of a French police official inside a police station near the historic Rambouillet chateau outside Paris. Police shot and killed the attacker at the scene, authorities said.

Anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard told reporters that his office took over the probe because the attacker had staked out the station, because of statements he made during the attack, and because he targeted a police official.

Ricard did not provide details on the attacker’s identity or motive. French media reports identified him as a 37-year-old French resident with no criminal record or record of radicalization.

A French judicial official said the suspect was born in Tunisia and that witnesses heard him say “Allahu akbar, Arabic for “God is great,” during the attack. The judicial official was not authorized to be publicly named speaking about an ongoing investigation.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex rushed to the scene with other officials and pledged the government’s “determination to fight terrorism in all its forms.” Islamic extremists and others have carried out multiple terror attacks in France recent years, including several targeting police.

The official killed Friday was a 49-year-old administrative employee who worked in the station for the national police service, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press.

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the murder of a person of public authority in relation with a terrorist group.

“Police are symbols of the republic. They are France,” Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, told reporters at the scene, adding: “The face of France” was targeted.

The attack took place southwest of Paris just inside the police station in a quiet residential area of the town of Rambouillet, about 750 yards from a former royal estate that is sometimes used for international peace negotiations. Police cordons ringed the area after the stabbing.

The attack comes as President Emmanuel Macron’s government is toughening its security policies amid voter concerns about crime and complaints from police that they face increasing danger. The shift comes as France prepares for regional elections in June in which security is a big issue, and for a presidential election next year in which Macron’s main challenger could be far-right leader Marine Le Pen, if he seeks a second term.

In this image made from video, police near the scene of a stabbing at a police station in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. Authorities say a French policewoman has been stabbed to death inside her police station and that fellow officers nearby shot and killed the suspected attacker. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear. (Clement Lanot via AP)
In this image made from video, police near the scene of a stabbing at a police station in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. Authorities say a French policewoman has been stabbed to death inside her police station and that fellow officers nearby shot and killed the suspected attacker. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear. (Clement Lanot via AP)
Police officers block the access with barriers next to the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Police officers block the access with barriers next to the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Police officers block the access next to the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Police officers block the access with barriers next to the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
In this image made from video, police near the scene of a stabbing at a police station in Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. Authorities say a French policewoman has been stabbed to death inside her police station and that fellow officers nearby shot and killed the suspected attacker. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear. (Clement Lanot via AP)
Head of the Ile de France regional council Valerie Pecresse, left, arrives at the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Police officer blocks the access next to the Police station in Rambouillet, south west of Paris, Friday, April 23, 2021. A French police officer was stabbed to death inside her police station Friday near the famed historic Rambouillet chateau, and her attacker was shot and killed by officers at the scene, authorities said. The identity and the motive of the assailant were not immediately clear, a national police spokesperson told The Associated Press. The police officer was a 49-year-old administrative employee in the station, the spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)